Boy & Bear – Moonfire

Boy & Bear, a new band from Sydney, Australia, released their debut album, Moonfire on August 9, 2011. Moonfire is filled with harmony-driven folk tracks steered by acoustic guitars, powerful piano, and David Hosking’s vocals, which gently rise above every track but never overpower any of the other instruments, creating perfectly attuned songs that are meant to inspire and reflect.

Lyrically complex, the album focuses on the strength and importance of family, adventure, experience, and hope. The album maintains a balance between slower, sulky, heart-wrenching tracks (Big Man, Lordy May, House and Farm) and songs that move quickly, relying on a tribal-like percussion and heavily strummed guitars (Milk & Sticks, Feeding Line, Golden Jubilee) that make you want to dance around a fire (clothing optional).

Track Breakdown:

Feeding Line is fiery and impassioned with a fast tempo, strong drums and socially conscious lyrics that deal with the struggle of everyday life. This is one of the rarer tracks that places the acoustic guitar in the background and lets the electric take over, which helps accentuate the strength and urgency of the song.

On the slow end of the spectrum is Lordy May, the opening track on the album. The piano strongly leads the song with a soulful opening until the lyrics hauntingly appear out of nowhere.

Big Man, a song which makes you want to call your parents and apologize for anything, is stripped down, relying primarily on Hosking’s vocals and minimal percussion. The track then lets emotion swell with the end of the song bringing a heavy chorus used to signify a monumental realization.

When & Where:

This album is perfect while you are sitting around a campfire in the middle of the woods at night or when you want to reminisce about college, when your biggest problem was how to sneak a keg of beast into your dorm room.